Bellevue’s YES opens new facility at historic Kirkland site

Bellevue-based Youth Eastside Services has opened its newest – and oldest – facility in Kirkland.

The new site is located in the historic Forbes family house that was originally built in 1905 and later sold to the city of Kirkland.

“For years, this place has been a home and I hope it continues to be a home for the future of our kids in this community,” said Patti Skelton-McGougan, executive director of YES, during the event.

With the help of Kirkland, YES recently renovated the historic home that officials hope will be more family-friendly and accessible than the organization’s previous Rose Hill location.

“There was a need to be closer to kids and families in Kirkland,” McGougan added.

YES has served Eastside youth and families for more than 41 years, opening its original Bellevue facility in 1987 that has since been renovated. The organization opened a Family Resource Center in Redmond, a “one-stop shop” of several non-profit social service providers, McGougan said.

YES will also open a new Sammamish site next year in partnership with the city of Sammamish and Friends of Youth.

The organization, which was started by a group of community leaders who were concerned about the drug and alcohol abuse on the Eastside, has also responded to the growing and changing needs of Eastside youth and families through the services it provides. Those services include mental health counseling, drug and alcohol treatment and prevention, sexual abuse treatment, violence prevention and parenting support and education.

YES provides counseling and support services in more than 30 Eastside schools, and will now be able to expand its services through a new partnership with the University of Washington School of Social Work.

Carrie Wood is editor of the Kirkland Reporter. She can be reached at editor@kirklandreporter.com or 425.822.9166 ext 5050.